Surprise Me: The Sunday Times Number One bestseller

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Also: we have slightly edited this story when we tell other people. Like, the low-cut hooker top. No-one needs to know about that. Blurb: After ten years together, Sylvie and Dan have a comfortable home, fulfilling jobs, and beautiful twin girls, and they communicate so seamlessly they finish each other’s sentences. They have a happy marriage and believe they know everything there is to know about each other. Until it’s casually mentioned to them that they could be together for another sixty-eight years . . . and panic sets in. Well, not bam as in instant love. Bam as in I thought, ‘Mmm. Look at those eyes. Look at those arms. He’s nice.’ He was wearing a blue T shirt which brought out his eyes. He had a chef’s apron round his waist, and he was flipping burgers really efficiently. Like he knew what he was doing. Like he was king of the burgers. Also, for a light and fluffy, this had a substantial ending. I wasn't expecting the story to take its unpredictable turn, and this really impressed me. I feel that most women's fiction novels containing this scenario have a handful of options on how to end the book, and this wasn't one of those standard filler conclusions. I guess what I'm trying to say is, this was a fluffy with some substance. This is the type of "guilty pleasure" book that you can read and drop the guilt. Although, why people expect us to feel guilty about any genre we choose to read I'll never understand. I'm surprised at how connected I feel with the characters, as I'm still reminiscing about the story and feel a little blue about having to leave them behind and move on to something else. Recommended with gusto to those looking for a romantic read that's soft, moving, and hilarious.

SOPHIE KINSELLA has always been one of my favourite go-to authors, so I was pretty excited when I was approved to read her latest novel, SURPRISE ME. I have enjoyed all of her books and to me they are such a treat to read inbetween reading so many thrillers. I like to be able to just relax and enjoy the humour within the storyline. SURPRISE ME definitely surprised me and I kind of liked the idea of Project Surprise Me too except for one of the surprises that Dan gave to Sylvie in the book which had me totally creeped right out! By ten years, I don’t mean ten years since our wedding. I mean ten years since we first met. It was at my mate’s Alison’s birthday party. That was the day our lives changed forever. Dan was manning the barbecue and I asked him for a burger and… bam.I must admit this was my first Sophie Kinsella book and I am so very glad to have stumbled upon this little gem of a book. Love is finding one person infinitely fascinating. And so... not an achievement, my dear. Rather, a privilege. I confess I had a slight problem with the premise: a young couple panics when their doctor tells them they will likely live to be over 100, which would mean another 68 years together. If you're happily married who wouldn't be delighted at that news??? (True story: As I'm writing this review a news reporter is on TV interviewing a couple who have been married for 73 years! Synchronicity! ) Sophie’s latest novel, Surprise Me, published in February 2018, presents a humorous yet moving portrait of a marriage—its intricacies, comforts, and complications. Surprise Me reveals that hidden layers in a close relationship are often yet to be discovered. For each following novel that she publishes, part of me gets nervous that I won't like the next one. I am so happy to say that hasn't been the case for any of her novels and I have liked each with varying levels of enjoyment. Always, I have liked what she has written.

Heartfelt . . . What at first seems like a light novel about familiar woes turns into a deeper story about trust, family, and perception.” — Publishers Weekly How well do we really know somebody? Even people closest to us. Can we really know a person “inside out”? Just when familiarity sets in, we start to get bored and take our guard down, that’s when they might catch us out or… surprise us. At the end of the day, we can even surprise ourselves at times and do or say things we could never imagine we would. Stormy lives This was a different story and somewhere around 3/4 of the way through, I realized I didn't know the direction that it would go. I hate to get cheesy with the title but there really were so many surprises! Some of the events that occurred near to the end, I really didn't predict or see coming yet I thought that it added to the story. Dan and Sylvie had twin 5 year old daughters, but you would think they were childless the way carried on. Sylvie showed so little love and care for them, she rarely thought about them or looked after them, and Dan didn't have any close relationship with them either, even when he was interacting with them he seemed mostly absent. In her signature fashion, Sophie Kinsella brings a cast of quirky, funny characters to this new work. [She] keeps the laughs coming. . . . Readers will follow the story with bated breath as the couple struggle to make their marriage right after everything they thought they knew about each other proves wrong.” — Library Journal

One of the best parts of Sophie Kinsella's writing that also occurred in this novel is the ability to relate. I think many people will be able to relate to many of the characters but especially to different aspects of the main character Sylvie. Her internal dialogue and struggles were real alone with her outwardly concerns. Along with this, the humour! Oh boy, there were times that this novel had me either hiding a laugh or literally laughing out loud. Sophie Kinsella does humour amazingly well and I'm happy to see that she included it so appropriately in this novel.

thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an e-galley of the book in exchange for an honest review The last half of the book takes a much more serious turn. Sylvie relates this story in first person narrative, auto-correcting herself as she does, so it's interesting to watch the rather spoiled Sylvie grow as a person and challenge herself in her marriage, her job and some of her fundamental beliefs. She learns the correctness of the Latin proverb "vincit qui se vincit: she conquers who conquers herself." I can feel rising tears, mixed with rising incredulity. And rising dread. I’m not sure yet which is winning. Actually, yes I am. Incredulity is winning and it’s joining forces with anger. ‘Really?’ I feel like shouting. ‘Really, Dan?’ Thank you so much to NetGalley, Random House, and Sophie Kinsella for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review! Thank you to the following for permitting me access to an advance reader's copy (ARC) of Surprise Me. This generosity did not impact my honesty when rating/reviewing.While Sylvie and Dan’s marriage plays a central role, Surprise Me is more about Sylvie’s relationship with her deceased father.

There are some really deep and meaningful themes that are explored in Surprise Me that give the book a real depth. The concept of aging and how it relates to a life that is both long and full is one that I have not come across before, and it really makes me think. I also loved the friendships that Sylvie has forged and how she seems to have so many different friends to count on. Also, Sylvie’s family is very important to her and these are the parts of the story that get quite interesting. ❀ Not Light and Fluffy Did not like Sylvie. Did not like Dan. I thought Dan and Sylvie's relationship wouldn't be as infuriating compared to the typical romance couple since they'd been happily married for ten years, but they were worse than a pair of immature, hormone riddled, brainless teens.This was an entertaining and enjoyable book about marriage and making the journey exciting and fun. The writing is smooth and effortless. The characters are quirky, comical, genuine, and lovable. And the plot is an engaging, moving tale bursting with witty banter, embarrassing situations, awkward moments, hilarious hijinks, and sweet romance.